


we won't go until we get some

by domino-mp3 (catladyjaebeom)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Library, Bad Flirting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Snowed In, a guy gets trapped overnight in a library with his crush and you wont believe what happens next, taeil works at the library
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:02:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27810466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catladyjaebeom/pseuds/domino-mp3
Summary: And byweJohnny means himself and bysomehe means passing his class.
Relationships: Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 22
Kudos: 117





	we won't go until we get some

**Author's Note:**

> hello, this is self indulgent.
> 
> hope you like it!

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Johnny fucking loves Christmas.

Ever since he was a little kid living in America, it’s always been his favorite holiday. He loves the weather, he loves the food, he loves the pretty lights and decorations and (most importantly) he loves the gifts. He loves wearing long coats and fluffy scarves, drinking elaborate festive drinks and singing along to christmas carols. 

What little Johnny didn’t expect though, was Christmas time to coincide with finals season. 

It’s the second week of December and Johnny (as well as pretty much half of the other students in his University) has been camped inside the Library from dusk until dawn, surrounded by empty cans of energy drinks and piles of textbooks. And occasionally some crying, but far from Johnny to be judgmental. 

He would much rather be doing his last minute studying at the comfort of his dorm, thank you very much, but most of the material he is studying for is not available for check out. Especially during exam week, when the demand is high and desperate. Long story short, it's three weeks until Christmas, the weather has been more than frightful and Johnny's ass has pretty much taken the shape of the library chair.

It started snowing a few days ago, and what started small and harmless turned into a relentless storm that settled a heavy coat of snow overnight. He can see the falling snow through the frosted window and he silently sends out a prayer that it will be done by the time he goes home. Which won’t be anytime soon, if the amount of pages still left on the chapter he’s reading is anything to go by. 

Johnny lets the pen he's holding drop to the table and runs his hands across his face and hair, the groan stuck at the bottom of his throat coming out as a dragged whine. He has no idea what time it is, he doesn't even want to check, but he can tell it's late _late_ because the last time he raised his head there were four other students sitting at his table, and now there are none. In fact, there's not a single soul as far as he can see from his corner, most table lamps turned off and no sign of any keyboard typing and pages being flipped.

He sneaks a glance at the entrance where the checkout counter is and immediately hides behind the sheet of paper he was highlighting a minute ago. The cute librarian is sitting there, and he does _not_ look happy. Johnny has been avoiding eye-contact with him ever since he last checked his phone and it was way past nine p.m. It's a douche thing to do but the rule is, the library works until eleven, but during exam week it can stay open for another two hours, as long as one of the staff stays behind to lock up.

And well. Johnny might not know what time it is but based on the two empty cans of Monster he hid in his bag under the table, he can take a wild guess. 

The cute librarian is yet to come kick him out, so he stretches his neck from side to side and pulls the textbook closer, the pen digging at the curve of his palm. Might as well make full use of the time he has left. Sure, the words are starting to blend together at this point and he may or may not have read the same paragraph twice, but he's running out of options here.

He makes it past three more pages when he senses a presence coming up to stand close to his left shoulder.

“Hey man, it’s closing time.”

For a quick second, Johnny considers not responding, pretending he can’t hear the warning through his headphones. It’s not only a dick move but a pointless one, too, given how close the assistant librarian is to him, arms crossed and all.

He looks up slowly, to the perfectly styled chocolate hair and the sharp jawline, and brings out the most convincing tone he can muster. “Can I stay for a little longer? I’m almost done, I promise!”

The guy doesn’t look like he’s buying it, and he huffs out a breath. “Absolutely not. It’s late and you have to leave.”

Johnny takes a long look at the guy’s red sweater, the reindeer and snowflake designs on the sleeves. Looks super cozy. 

“Just half an hour,” he’s pretty much begging at this point and he has no shame left. "Please, Mr Librarian?"

A frown appears on the man’s forehead. "You've been holed up here for the past week," he says with a tinge of disbelief. "And you still don't know my name?"

Johnny does, in fact, know his name. Moon Taeil, twenty-four, a Modern Languages and Linguistics major, part time assistant librarian. But he doesn't want to look like a stalker, so that's not what he says. 

Instead, "Mr _Cute_ Librarian?"

Taeil rolls his eyes. 

What Johnny aimed for was a blush or a giggle, but an eye roll is halfway there. He wasn’t kidding when he called Taeil cute, in fact that’s been in his mind for a while. Johnny had even entertained the idea of asking the librarian out on a date after finals. But that’s only going to happen if he passes his classes. 

He can take a picture of the last chapter, do some notes for terms he can look up, but he needs a little bit more time. Johnny sends one last yearning look at his precious notes, and then leans over the table, closer to Taeil.

"My name is-"

"John, I know."

For a second, a rush of excitement runs through Johnny. If Taeil knows his name, then there’s the possibility he _is_ interested after all. He raises an eyebrow.

Taeil picks up on it instantly. "Don't give me that look. I register all your books, your library card has your name on it."

Johnny feels himself deflate slightly. It’s understandable, he guesses. Taeil sees a lot of the same people everyday, over and over. And a man with a face and ass like those? Probably gets asked out left and right.

"And, you know,” Taeil gives him a noncommittal shrug, but his cheeks turn a subtle shade of red. “It's hard not to notice someone that tall."

 _Tall,_ huh? Johnny will take it.

“See? We’re so close already!” Johnny taps his pen on the table. “And you can see how devoted I am to my studies, since I come here so often! Don’t you want to help out a fellow student in need?”

All right, Johnny can admit it, he’s talking nonsense at this point. He’s tired, no one can judge him. 

Taeil lets out a dragged out groan. “You’re not the only person with finals, you know?” He tries, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands. “I have a quiz tomorrow at eight a.m!” If he didn’t know better, he’d say Taeil was whining. “I need to be well rested!”

He feels a little bad for Taeil, but you know how it goes. Desperate times. 

Johnny prepares himself to do what he likes to call the ‘sad puppy pout’. He's not proud of it, but this is a last resort type of situation and he is in no position to feel any shame. He puffs out his lower lip into a pout and frowns his eyebrows together, looking up at Taeil as if he just got kicked in the rain. It always works on Taeyong. 

"Pretty please?" 

For a couple of seconds, they have a staring contest.

“Okay, fine.” Taeil sighs, turning away from Johnny and crossing his arms. “Thirty more minutes. And you owe me something from the vending machine.”

Johnny almost whoops in excitement. “You got it, Mr Librarian!”

Taeil stands there for a few moments like he's contemplating whether he made a bad decision or not. In the end, he shakes his head when he thinks no one is looking.

“My name is Taeil, by the way.”

Johnny gives him a small smirk from behind his book, “I know.”

He manages to catch another exaggerated sigh from Taeil before he turns on his heel and heads back to the counter. Johnny finds it adorable, but he doesn’t have time to focus on it now. He turns his attention back to the books and the notes, just to make sure he’s not that far done like he said he was. Two more chapters, not that bad. He will snap some more pictures and write down some things and be out of Taeil’s hair in no time. 

This time around he doesn’t get a chance to lose track of the passing minutes, Taeil making sure to voice them out loud as they go. Johnny still has seven minutes left when he deems it enough and starts packing his belongings, checking his pictures and notes again just to be sure. Taeil is hovering around his desk while he does it, picking up the textbooks and putting them behind the counter, not bothering to store them in their right place. 

(They don’t talk much, Johnny thanks him one more time when he’s escorted out of the room and back to the lobby. He asks if Taeil would be too upset if he said he needs to pee. Taeil is, but tells him to go and make it quick.)

After a few minutes Johnny is more than ready to bid the librarian goodnight and brave the storm back to his apartment building. 

“Uh-uh, not so fast!” Taeil grabs his arm, looking up at him with a determined glare. "I want my chocolate, John."

Johnny laughs quietly, taking a step back and doing a mock-curtsy.

“Your wish is my command.” 

It seems enough for Taeil and he starts dragging Johnny in the opposite direction, back towards the common area where the cafeteria is. It’s closed, of course, the displays closed off and the lights off, save for the row of vending machines on the far corner. Taeil still hasn’t let go of his arm, and it fills Johnny’s stomach with a fuzzy feeling. They stand there for a few moments, Taeil looking through the options before he can make a decision. He hums to himself before pushing Johnny in front of a particular one, finger pointing over the glass door.

“Here, this one.”

It’s a seasonal chocolate bar with a picture of a round penguin and it’s the most adorable thing Johnny has ever seen in his life. He grabs his wallet from his back pocket and gets enough money for two bars.

“Also, you should know,” he adds with a quirk of his lips, leaning against the side of the vending machine. "I let cute guys call me Johnny."

Taeil doesn’t bother looking his way before snatching the bill from his hand, "Right."

Johnny chuckles to himself while the engines hum to get Taeil the chocolate bar he chose. He might as well take something for himself, since that he’s here, and maybe another energy drink to last him through the night. 

That last one might not be the best idea. Johnny’s never had more than three Monsters in a night and he’s not sure he wants to find out how bad of an idea that is.

He ends up listening to his good sense and giving up on the energy drink, which is probably for the best, and gets himself two candy bars and a bag of chips. Taeil waits until he’s done getting his change from the coin slot and wordlessly starts marching back the way they came. 

Johnny points behind his shoulder. “Isn’t the exit that way?”

“For regular people, yes. But I already rolled down the gates over the glass door, I don’t wanna do that again.” Taeil explains, waving his hand around. “We’re taking the backdoor, it’s easier.” 

Oh, that makes sense. Johnny nods along and follows along, taking short bites of his chocolate in between steps. They go way back of the building, past the storage room and down a short flight of stairs Johnny didn’t even know existed. Taeil explains that he doesn’t usually use this exit but it should be okay, they leave the keys by the door. 

They end up at a long hallway with beige walls and large windows high enough that Johnny would need a bench to open them. It’s cold and one of the lightbulbs keeps blinking at a very suspicious interval. It’s not a call for help in morse code, though, so Johnny ignores it. 

True to the librarian’s words, the key is in a rusty hook right next to the door, at the end of the hall. Taeil places himself on top of the doormat with a face of Santa Claus and _‘ho fucking ho!’_ and starts fumbling with the lock. 

“I-,” the frown on Taeil’s forehead grows deeper. He’s still pulling at the door, glaring at the handle as if he can scare it into giving in. “I can’t open it. It won’t open.”

As if to prove his point, Taeil gives it a couple more tugs, scowling when nothing changes. Johnny needs to bite on his bottom lip to stop him from breaking into a smile and cooing.

“Hey, um,” he nods towards the door, hands shoved inside his pockets. “Can I give it a go?”

The frown is now directed at him, full force, as if it’s his fault, and Taeil narrows his eyes at Johnny. “What, you’re saying just because you’re tall you’re stronger than me?” Johnny tries to argue with that, tries to say of course not, his giggles stuck at the bottom of his throat, but Taeil starts waving his finger at him. “I’ll have you know I work out, okay? I can open a damn door!”

Johnny ends up raising his palms in surrender, “Hey, I never said that! You totally can open a damn door,” he adds, tilting his head. “But wouldn’t hurt if more people tried, right?”

There’s a second before Taeil takes a step back and crosses his arm over his chest, brown leather bag dangling from his shoulder. 

“All right then, big guy. Be my guest.”

Johnny moves forward and places both hands on the metal handle, making sure to flex his muscles even though he’s wearing a puffy jacket — doesn’t matter how buff you are, no one is _that_ buff —, and steadies his grip. It feels cold, freezing even, save from the spot where Taeil was trying earlier. He adjusts his stance one more time and then he pulls. And pulls. And pulls one more time.

Nothing happens. 

He looks up at the rest of the door, “Huh.”

“Ah, not so strong now, are we?” Taeil scoffs from next to him. He sounds really pleased with himself. Okay, fine, maybe Johnny deserved that. 

“I think the hinges might be frozen,” He says finally. “That, or there’s snow blocking it from opening.” He kicks lightly at the door frame, tilting his head to the side. “Or both.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” Taeil gives him a tired sigh. “Come on, let's take the kitchen exit.” 

Johnny’s eyes widen, he barely has time to yelp out a _“There’s a kitchen?”_ before Taeil is already halfway across the hallway and he almost trips on the doormat trying to follow.

Except he barely makes it past three steps before the lights go out, all of them, and they're left surrounded by darkness. Johnny extends his arms and taps around the wall, looking for the light switch, but he's not sure that's the issue here.

“Johnny? Johnny, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He replies. "Um, what the fuck just happened?"

He hears some rustling and then Taeil is shining a bright light on his face, from his phone flashlight. 

"The power went out, I think." He says. "Come on, let's keep going. The faster we get to the kitchen the better. Careful on the stairs."

Johnny picks his own phone from his pocket and thanks the gods he remembered to bring his charger and he still has 96% battery. Taeil waits until he's set to lead the way back.

It's a little weird, walking pretty much blind in a place he's never been before, but it's just a flight of stairs until they're out in the main hall again. The power is out there too, but there's a few lights still working by the lobby.

"It's the generator, powers a few emergency lights," Taeil explains before he even considers asking. "Also the fridge, some heaters, the bathroom lights." He frowns, still leading the way. "I wasn't really paying attention at the safety briefing. It's fine, don't worry about it." 

Johnny almost snorts at that, but he doubts Taeil would have listened, either.

The kitchen is a door right before the cafeteria that Johnny has never even noticed, Taeil using one of the keys attached to the chain on his belt. For a fraction of a second Johnny finds there’s something oddly attractive about it, but then he shakes his head and tells himself this must be the Monster talking. 

Taeil gets it open before Johnny has time to question his own preferences. He's not sure what he was expecting of the library kitchen but it's just a regular room, not too big, a fridge and a microwave and a round table with four chairs around it. Also a tiny Christmas tree next to the sink that almost gives him a heart attack when he flashes his light by it too fast. 

On the far end there's two more doors, one is a bathroom and the other has a glowing green exit light above it. Unlike the door downstairs this one opens without problem, except for one little thing.

Taeil all but jumps back, the strong wind coming and hitting them both in the face, snow and cold all at once, the loud echo of the wind and the violent storm barging into the small kitchen. Taeil pushes the door close almost immediately, pressing his back against it when they're surrounded by silence again. 

"Holy shit," Johnny says, between kick breaths. "When did the storm get so heavy?" 

Taeil shakes his head. "No idea. I'm gonna guess it had something to do with the power shortage, though."

A phone call later tells them that yes, the power shortage was caused by a fallen tree over a couple of lamp posts, leaving the whole west side of the campus in complete darkness and the main road blocked. A couple more calls and searches tell them that there are no concrete predictions for it to get fixed before morning, no cars can get past the wreckage to come get them and under no circumstances should they try to walk around outside in the dark at this hour.

Johnny feels his heart-rate pick up with every call they make, thinking about his bed and a warm shower and cozier socks. Next to him Taeil hasn't stopped pacing around, he tried calling five different people but none of the answers were any different. The only source of light in the kitchen are their phone flashlights and given they keep dancing around when they make calls, Johnny can't really see Taeil's face, but he knows it’s not going to be happy.

Johnny stands there, for the lack of a better response. He's not sure what he's supposed to do, and he's not sure he should be giving any suggestions, either. After a couple more seconds of pacing and angry phone calls Taeil finally stops, with a heavy sigh leaving his lips.

"I can't see anything. Let's go talk outside."

They get back to the hallway and Taeil leads them back to the middle of the cafeteria, near the vending machines from before. The emergency lights are not as bright as the usual one but they work enough so that they can see where they're going. Johnny takes his backpack off and places it over one of the tables, just as Taeil starts pacing around again, his hands coming to rub at his face, going from one end of the roll to the other. 

"This is all your fault!" He groans, his steps heavy on the wooden floor. "They said they can't send anyone to come get us until morning. And that we can't leave on our own, since there's no telling when they'll get the power back!"

Johnny already knows all of that, but he bites his tongue instead of pointing it out. Taeil already looks like he's at the tipping point as it is.

"I'm-, I know." He tries, shoulders shrinking. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

Taeil ignores him completely.

"We're stuck here!" He wails, his arms coming up to gesture around, "I let myself be nice for _one day_ because, hey— it's Christmas, and this is how the universe repays me?!" Taeil looks up, pointing his finger at the ceiling. "Fuck you!!"

Johnny needs to take a step back to avoid Taeil bumping into him when he starts pacing around again. He should start considering their options for the night, find out what they can eat or where to sleep, Johnny should call Taeyong before he gets worried enough he'll march down to the library himself, storm be damned.

He does no such thing. Instead he sits down at the edge of that one table in silence. And to be honest, he’s still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Moon Taeil just told the universe to go fuck itself. 

Johnny searches for that second candy bar he bought earlier and offers it to Taeil. The librarian stares at it for a few seconds as if he's disgusted by it, but he takes it anyway, tearing the wrap with his teeth.

It seems to help, because it's not long before Taeil calms down again, his cheeks full from biting too much chocolate at once. When he's done he turns to face Johnny and offers him a small smile. 

The emergency lights are way too yellow and that almost tricks him into thinking this is cosier than it is, except for the cold that’s starting to creep through the closed windows. 

“We should go back to the library,” he suggests, timidly. “It’s warmer there.”

Taeil nods his head slowly. “You’re right. I’m sure one of the heaters there is probably working.”

It takes a few seconds for him to get the doors open again and Johnny takes it upon himself to carry their bags. The air conditioning is out for good but there are a couple of heaters working, just like Taeil said. There’s one right next to the reception counter and Taeil plops himself on his chair with a heavy sigh, pulling his phone from his pocket and immediately calling someone. 

He should probably do the same — if not to warn his roommate, to give Taeil some privacy. Johnny places their things on the taller side of the counter and picks his phone, the thing already bombarding with incoming messages.

  
hey, you coming home soon?  
i already had dinner, but i left u some on the microwave~~  
dont work too hard!  
**Sent** _10:18 pm_  
johnny? u still at the library?  
the storm is getting bad, pls be careful!!  
**Sent** _10:55 pm_  
where are u???? i’m getting worried!!!!  
**Sent** _11:14 pm_  
johnny????  
pls pick up!!!!  
**Sent** _11:40 pm_  
WHERE ARE YOU!!!!!!  
**Sent** _12:03 am_

Johnny swallows down. Oh boy.

hey yongie!!!  
dont worry i’m ok!!!!!  
sorry i didnt reply sooner i’m still at the library  
**Sent** _12:10 am_

  
i was about to call the police!!!!  
????????? what happened????  
**Sent** _12:11 am_

  
lol  
power went out and the storm is too strong  
but its ok, the library has emergency power  
they wont let us go home, tho  
kinda stuck here  
**Sent** _12:12 am_

  
oh no!!  
do u want me to go pick u up? i can borrow hyungs car  
**Sent** _12:12 am_

  
since when u can drive?  
but no a tree fell down on the main road, it got totally blocked  
its ok tho, dont worry about it! we’re doing fine  
i’ll be home in the morning  
**Sent** _12:13 am_

  
i can make hyung drive me*  
r u sure? :((  
wait. what do u mean _we_  
**Sent** _12:14 am_

  
i’m sure, thank u yongie <3   
me and the assistant librarian, he got stuck here too  
**Sent** _12:15 am_

  
oh???? the cute one???  
owo  
ok then! dont let me keep u!!  
text me if anything happens! keep warm!!  
i’ll see u tomorrow ;))))  
**Sent** _12:16 am_

Johnny rolls his eyes. He knows Taeyong means well, so he types back a string of kissy-face emojis before locking his phone and putting it back in his pocket. It looks like Taeil is done with his phone call, too, and now he’s just slouched over his chair, using the heels of his shoes to turn from one side to the other, head leaned back and looking at the ceiling. 

“So, um,” He rubs the side of his arm. “Now what?”

It’s a few moments before Taeil realizes that he’s talking to him and stops spinning the chair, sitting up straight. He looks up at Johnny with an unreadable expression.

“Well,” Taeil gets up from his chair and reaches for his leather bag. “Since we’re both here for the night and it’s your fault, you’re going to help me.”

Johnny watches him pulling random items from the bag, probably looking for something. “Help you how?”

Taeil finally lets out a small _a-ha!_ and pulls a bright neon green binder from inside the bag. 

“Flashcards. For my exam tomorrow.” He says, showing the selection of colorful papers he has and waving them for good measure. “You’re gonna help me study.”

The tone of his voice doesn't leave any room for Johnny to wonder if it's a question or not. 

It's a bit too dark to read at the reception so Taeil leads them to one of the corners around the counter, where the emergency light shines brighter. It's not as close to the heater but it's still enough to keep them warm. There's no tables or chairs but that doesn't seem to bother Taeil, and he's more than content in sitting down crossed legged on the carpeted floor, blinking up at Johnny until he does the same.

Taeil takes his time explaining how his flashcards work, walking Johnny through the color coded levels of difficulty and the different icons for different themes. It's probably the most meticulous thing Johnny has ever seen and he's more than impressed.

They go on like that for a while, Johnny asking questions listed or making up his own based on bullet points, doing his best attempt at a game show host impression. Taeil answers everything with ease, sometimes even correcting something Johnny says wrong every now and then.

Time goes by a little faster than he's used to, maybe because Johnny is not the one studying or because he likes looking at Taeil, who knows, but they go through a whole binder in what feels like blink of an eye. He knows it wasn't, of course, because his leg is getting stiff from the way he's sitting and his butt is starting to hurt. 

That and well, the cold.

A chill runs down Johnny’s spine, from his nape to the small of his back and he lets out a loud shudder. His fingertips are getting too sensitive from the cold so he brings his hands close to his face, rubbing his palms together and blowing hot air over them.

“I knew I should've brought gloves,” he mumbles, wrapping the tips of his sleeves over the rest of his hands.

It was more of an empty complaint than anything, so he doesn’t think much of it when Taeil doesn’t offer a reply. When Johnny turns to him he finds Taeil lost in thought, his eyes focused on a point somewhere under Johnny’s chin. He hides his hands under his butt and Taeil follows the motion.

“Lost and found.” 

“I beg your pardon?”

Taeil blinks a couple of times and he seems almost surprised, as if he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He composes himself quickly, though, sitting up straight before looking up at Johnny.

“The lost and found,” he explains. “I’m sure there’s some gloves over there. And scarves, and coats. We should keep warm.”

Johnny raises an eyebrow. “Is that allowed?”

Taeil carefully closes his notepad and places it next to him on the ground before standing up.

“I don’t care.” He deadpans, expression unchanged. “Do you?”

A wide grin spreads across Johnny’s lips. The longer he spends with Moon Taeil the more he likes him. He gets up and dusts off his pants. 

“Lead the way.”

They stop by the checkout counter so Taeil can get the key to the storage room, Johnny’s phone serving as a flashlight. It’s not hard to find thanks to the huge plush reindeer keychain attached to it. After that Johnny dutifully follows Taeil down the hall until they reach a door labeled ‘Staff Only’.

Turns out the lost and found is a small cramped closet in the far side of the storage room and the emergency lights don’t work in there. Johnny does his best to shine enough light so Taeil can see what he’s doing as much as staying out of his way when he’s struggling to find the right key. He gets it open and immediately starts pulling out cardboard boxes from the metal shelves, piling them across the floor. 

“It’s gonna take forever to find anything if we can’t see,” he explains, on his tip-toes, trying to reach the top shelf. “Let’s take everything back with us, we’ll sort it out- Ugh, will you fucking put that height to good use?”

Johnny almost drops his phone in his rush to help, resisting the urge to pat Taeil’s head. 

He gets the rest of the boxes, leaving the ones that are labeled as objects and study supplies behind. The boxes aren’t that heavy since they’re mostly clothes so they each pick up more than one and two trips later Johnny finds himself surrounded by lost items in the carpeted floor of the library. 

Taeil pushes one of the smaller boxes towards Johnny and sets to work immediately, opening the one closest to him and pulling out a small blue blanket. He explains offhandedly that the blanket has been in the storage room for at least a year and no one really knows where it came from. 

Johnny's box is scarves and odd items, mostly, but after picking up a scarf big enough to pass as a pillow, he spots something a little bit too familiar.

Johnny's eyes widen. "Oh shit, that's my glove!"

He pulls it from the bottom of the box, Taeil lifting up his head just in time to see it under the weak yellow light. Johnny turns the glove between his fingers, the wool soft against his skin. He had completely forgotten about it. 

"I lost this forever ago," he admits, with a small voice. "I thought my roommate stole it."

Poor Taeyong felt so guilty he used almost all his payment to buy Johnny a new pair, and of much better quality, too. Johnny winces internally and sends out a silent apology to the skies. He’s the absolute worst friend on the planet and he vows to buy his roommate that videogame he’s been wanting forever. 

In the end Taeil ends up with the blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a superhero cape and Johnny with his single glove and a random bright yellow one. There's a three-seat cream colored couch close to the heater and that's where the rest of the coats they found get placed.

"There's two," Taeil says, pointing at the other couch on the other side of the room. "One for you and one for me. Should be fine." 

Johnny eyes the size of it and he just _knows_ he's not going to fit. "Isn't that a bit far, though? Is there a heater back there?"

Taeil starts fluffing up one of the coats, making it into a makeshift pillow. "Don't be ridiculous, we'll bring it over here. Besides," he gets up and shakes his fringe away from his eyes, adjusting his blanket-cape in the process. "I don't want to sleep alone."

Johnny raises an eyebrow and Taeil huffs air out of his nose.

"Because of the _cold,_ Johnny. And you'll be staying on your own couch."

He lets out a giggle, "I didn't say anything."

After everything is set Taeil makes him place the boxes behind the counter, saying that they'll have to put everything back in the morning, might as well leave it. Johnny has been doing everything Taeil tells him to ever since the night started, he can't say he minds. Taeil is bossy, small and cute — everything Johnny likes in a man.

He's getting back to the couch (where Taeil has already made himself comfortable) when something catches his eye. Or well, the lack of something. Johnny looks at the pile they left on the other side, the other coats and the Santa hat he found at the bottom of one of the boxes. It makes him frown.

"Why is there no Christmas tree here this year?"

Taeil shrugs. "I didn't have time to set it up. And, well." When he looks up at Johnny there's a bitter smile on his lips. "No one else really cares, so there's only me."

Johnny feels the sting, too, even though he has nothing to do with it. He hasn't known Taeil for long, barely a couple of months if you disregard that they've only been properly introduced a few hours ago, but he knows Taeil _loves_ Christmas. It's impossible not to, really, since it pretty much seems that Taeil's wardrobe is composed of nothing but festive sweaters and he plays Mariah Carey's _All I want for Christmas is you_ (the instrumental version) at least once a day. 

Taeil looks back at the empty space where the tree should be with his shoulders slouched down and he looks _sad,_ and Johnny absolutely can't have that.

He jumps up, putting the Christmas hat on his head, proudly posing with his hands on his hips and flashing his biggest smile. Taeil tilts his head, looking half suspicious and half amused at the same time.

"Let's do it!" He says, stomping his foot. The bell on the tip of the hat makes a noise as he does, as if reinforcing his point. "Right now, let's put up the Christmas tree!"

Taeil leans with his arms behind his back, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "What, in the dark?"

"Yeah, why not? You can turn the lights on tomorrow, it will be like a fun surprise!" 

It doesn’t really take much more convincing than that, Taeil leading Johnny back into the same storage room to get the supplies, Johnny almost tripping on a string of tinsel that’s hanging from the side on the way back. It’s a total of two plastic boxes and a long cardboard container with a plastic pine tree, tall enough that it’s taller than Taeil but not enough that it reaches Johnny’s shoulder.

Taeil crouches so he can get started with straightening out the branches, his eyes menacing when he looks up at Johnny. “Not a fucking word, tall person.”

Johnny chuckles, shaking his head. “Wouldn’t dare to.”

Setting up the _actual_ tree, the wire branches and the pointy plastic leaves, is not exactly the fun activity Johnny was hoping for, but Taeil seems happy enough. He’s singing along with the Christmas playlist he insisted on having playing in the background. Johnny has no objections, of course, especially since Taeil has the voice of an angel and his warm harmonizing to Michael Bublé could put the singer to shame. His only worry is the battery life of Taeil’s phone running away every time _Jingle Bell Rock_ comes on shuffle.

“It’s fine, I left it in airplane mode.” Taeil explains, fumbling with a branch. Johnny can swear he spots a blush on his face, but it’s too dark to be sure. “I have the playlist downloaded.”

Johnny smiles despite himself. Of course he does. 

They end up leaving a lot of fake plastic leaves fallen on the floor but Taeil tells him to leave it, he’ll brush them out in the morning. Next comes the lights, even though they can’t exactly see how they look with no power. Untangling the wire is almost fucking impossible in the dark, every single time Johnny thinks he got the thing free his fingers get stuck on a different knot, making him grunt in annoyance. 

“Here, allow me,” Taeil says, a hint of a chuckle lacing his voice. He extends his hands towards the fairy lights, Johnny handing them over with no protest. “Untangling these bad boys is one of my many talents.”

He then proceeds to work the wires with the hands of an expert, pulling just the right loose strand to make the lights fall magically in place, spreading in a pretty line on his lap. Johnny’s mouth is hanging open and he’s impressed and annoyed all at once. 

“That’s fucking bulshit.” He says, because it’s true.

Taeil laughs at him, pats his head and calls him _sweet summer child_ and Johnny is left to stand there in awe. A man of many talents, truly. 

Putting up the tinsel and the other decorations is a lot easier, and Johnny is fucking glad to find out the ornaments are made of plastic when he drops them, the ball rolling away until it disappeared into one of the halls between the bookcases, never to be found again. 

It’s Taeil who puts up the star on top, standing on his tippy-toes and holding on to the branches so the tree doesn’t bend over. He takes a couple of steps back after, smiling up a it with pride. 

He bumps his shoulder with Johnny’s. “Thank you, she looks beautiful.”

“You’re welcome.”

They admire the tree for a few more seconds in silence, then Taeil suggests they move the plastic boxes out of the way so they don’t accidentally trip, or something. Johnny uses the pause to check his phone — he had completely forgotten about it — and finds out it’s a little past two in the morning. He shudders at the thought.

“Hey,” he asks, waiting until Taeil’s head pops out from behind the counter. “Do you think the vending machines are still working?”

Taeil seems to get what he means without any more words.

Turns out, the vending machines _aren’t_ working, but the stove in the kitchen is, and Taeil has some hot chocolate mix in the cupboard, for emergencies. They make their drinks in the dark, or well, Taeil makes them while Johnny hoovers around with his phone again, shining light from behind Taeil’s shoulder.

As for snacks, the machines might not be working, but Taeil has the master key and fear of no god. 

“Won’t we get in trouble for this?” Johnny asks, about 80% wary and 20% turned on.

Taeil pulls out a couple of natural sandwiches, a pack of cookies and some brownies, handing them over to Johnny without a thought. “What are they gonna do, arrest me?” He scoffs, closing the door and locking it back. “I’d like to see them try.”

Okay, scratch that. Johnny is 50% turned on. 

Back in the library they settle on the couch, their drinks and stolen snacks spread on the coffee table in front of them. Johnny munches on his cookie happily, then he blows the steam from his hot chocolate, glad that out of the hundreds of people in this university, Taeil is the one sitting next to him. And not just because of the free food.

A yawn escapes his lips, and Taeil takes that as a sign to get their couches ready. They bring the second couch, like he suggested earlier, but instead of setting it a reasonable distance from the first one, Taeil pushes them close facing each other, so they make a little cocoon with the backrest, cushions in the middle.

“So we can share body heat,” is his explanation. “I wouldn't want you to wake up with a missing toe, or something.”

Johnny’s heart doesn’t start racing after that, not that anyone is concerned. 

They quickly set the coats and makeshift pillows down, and even the blanket Taeil had been using as a cape this entire time gets taken off and placed in the middle of the couches so they can share it.

Shoe-free and snack-free, Johnny and Taeil climb into the couch. Taeil presses himself all over Johnny’s side, using the cold as an excuse, and Johnny takes it upon himself to wrap his arm around the librarian, snuggling him in. He feels warm already, and by the time Taeil sighs and rests his head on Johnny’s shoulder, he feels like melting away. 

And then they just talk. Taeil tells him about his roommate, a guy studying aeronautical engineering who is younger than both of them and has a license to fly a plane. Johnny does a double take at that and no, Taeil isn’t joking, and he marks himself down as impressed. He tells him in return that none of his friends are prodigies, not that way, although Taeyong cooks dishes that are capable of world peace and he has the patience of a saint.

“What about that one guy who comes with you sometimes?” Taeil asks. “Long hair, likes to draw? Always looks like he’s up to no good?”

The description brings a smile to Johnny’s face. “You mean Ten?”

“You guys seem close.”

“We’re just friends.” Johnny chews on his bottom lip. “He’s not my type. I like cute guys with pretty smiles, sharp jawlines and sharper tongues who work part time as assistant librarians.”

Taeil lifts his face and raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him. From this proximity, his eyes look kind of crossed. 

“Are you taking advantage of this situation to flirt with me?”

Johnny tries to look sheepish, but he really isn’t that good of an actor. “That depends, is it working?”

His reply comes in the form of an exasperated sigh. Johnny’s smile only broadens the more Taeil’s cheeks turn red and he tucks himself back under Johnny’s chin.

“Yeah, don’t get too excited,” Taeil mumbles, lips close to Johnny’s collarbone. “I’m still really mad that you got us stuck here.”

“Me too,” Johnny admits, snuggling his nose further into Taeil’s hair. “But I’m glad that at least the one I got stuck with was you.”

Taeil squirms in his hold until they’re apart again, and it’s only enough so he can stare up at Johnny with a scowl. He feels the need to defend himself. 

“Ah, come on,” he rubs his hand up and down Taeil’s back. Makes sure he has his most respectable smile on. “I’m not that bad, am I? It could be worse!”

Even though it’s not possible, Taeil looks him up and down with a judgmental stare. He gives up soon enough, letting out a sigh. “I guess you’re right.”

“So,” Johnny bites down his grin. “Am I forgiven?”

A few moments go by in silence, Taeil staring up at him with a burning gaze, his eyes looking focused even as he's deep in thought. Johnny had meant it as a joke, as he had been the entire night, and now he feels the weight of Taeil's stare is making him boil under his skin. All he wanted was to make Taeil roll his eyes, or something, fire back a funny jab and move on. Now his heart is beating faster by the second, and there's no way Taeil can't feel it from how he's pressed on Johnny's chest. 

He's starting to worry he crossed a line he wasn't supposed to, that Taeil is offended, annoyed, worse, when the thoughts get smoked out of his mind like a blown out candle.

Taeil moves, it's barely noticeable, not more than a few inches, but he _moves,_ and before Johnny can even take a breath their lips are pressed together. 

It's incredibly soft, despite the burning of Johnny's chapped lips. Taeil feels warm, warmer than he was a second ago, and the way his breath brushes against Johnny's skin makes him buzz all over, letting out a slow, relaxed sigh when Taeil finally pushes back. 

They stand there in silence, just for the sake of being close, and Johnny needs to remind himself that this isn't a dream and he can open his eyes.

“We’ll see," Taeil says, after a moment of just sharing the quiet, his tongue coming out to wet his lower lip. "Ask me again after I get my grades for tomorrow’s exam.”

Johnny feels his entire throat dry at the way Taeil is looking at his mouth, but he manages to croak out a weak _okay._

“It’s too late," Taeil murmurs, his voice already dragged from tiredness. "We should sleep, at least a little.”

Johnny himself doesn't have much energy to reply with more than a nod, bringing himself lower on the couch, until his head hits the armrest and pulling Taeil with him. 

He gets a couple of elbows on his ribs when Taeil squirms on his side, getting into a comfortable spot with his hand on Johnny's chest. “I get to be the little spoon because I am cold and allowed.”

“I wholeheartedly agree.” He hums. It's not like Taeil is asking for permission, anyway.

Johnny adjusts himself so he’s in a position he’ll be less sore in the morning, snuggling Taeil closer to his chest in the process. He’s facing the window this way and, even though it’s pitch black outside, he can still see the snow falling when it comes close to the generator lights. There’s no curtains to shut so he knows when the Sun rises up in the morning it will shine right on his face but he doesn’t care. He’s perfectly fine right here. 

“Goodnight Taeil.”

Taeil’s hand sneaks more under Johnny’s shirt, tips of his fingers drawing patterns over the bumps of his ribs. He lets out a content hum. “Goodnight, Johnny.”

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Johnny wakes up the next morning with a bright light shining on his face. He’s feeling sore all over, his leg bent in a weird position and his neck stiff from not moving. He also can’t feel his right arm and his throat feels dry. It’s the fucking worst.

He’s warm. Warm enough that he feels bits of sweat pooling at the end of his nape and at the dip of his collarbones. It's the fucking worst, it _should_ be the fucking worst, but at some point during the night Taeil ended up with his head on Johnny's chest. Johnny can feel him with every breath he takes. He half thought he had imagined the whole thing.

 _Oh,_ he thinks, his hand loose over Taeil's waist. _This is nice._

If he leans his neck forwards a little he can see the top of Taeil's head, chestnut chocolate hair and delicate eyelashes, it’s between him and god. He almost wants to cry.

Taeil stirs in his sleep and Johnny freezes. A small pout forms in his lips and he snuggles closer into Johnny, his hair tickling the tip of his chin. A few seconds later, Taeil relaxes and lets out a content sigh. 

Johnny can practically feel a tear stream down his face. _Nice._

“Are you watching me sleep?”

He feels the words being said against his chest more than he hears them. Johnny needs to physically restrain himself from squealing. 

“No.” 

Taeil snorts, then he untangles himself from Johnny, supporting his torso with his arms. His eyes are barely open, there’s a red mark on his face from the crease of Johnny’s jacket and his hair is poking out in a hundred different directions. Johnny is so unequivocally enamoured. 

“Good morning,” he says, biting down his lovesick smile. “Did you sleep well?”

His reply is a loud, pointed yawn. Taeil rubs his eyes with the ends of his sleeve, blinking the sleep away. “Not bad, given the circumstances.” He says, clicking his tongue. “You make up for a good pillow.”

Johnny lifts himself, scooting back so he can sit properly. “Happy to oblige,” he says, stretching his arms over his head. He hears at least three joints crack. “What time is it?”

Taeil pokes around for his phone, bringing the device close to his face. “A little past six,” he says, scratching the side of his neck. His voice sounds rough in the morning, and it’s sexy as hell. Johnny gently pushes that thought away from his mind. “I got a billion texts. They think they’ll have the power back in an hour, or so.”

Oh— that reminds him, “Are we still stuck? Does it say anything about the storm?”

He looks out the window on instinct, not waiting for a reply. It’s bright and the sky looks more or less clear, no trace of a storm whatsoever. That’s already a good sign but Taeil still confirms his hopes, saying the texts gave them permission to leave, as long as they’re extra careful. 

That starts them on a trek to get everything back into their rightful places, starting with the couches. Then it’s folding back the coats and blankets, making sure they fit into the cardboard boxes (“They were all in there, there’s no way it’s not fitting! Johnny, come sit on this one so it gets flat!”), which is a fun adventure. They’re getting the last items in order when Taeil speaks up.

“She looks even more beautiful in the morning.”

Johnny lifts his head, looking at Taeil with an inquisitive expression, but he finds that the librarian isn’t looking at him. He’s looking over Johnny’s head, at the Christmas tree they set up a few hours ago.

A smile spreads across his face. The tinsel looks as if it was thrown on top of the tree without a care, and there’s a clear gap of decorations on the bottom left. 

“Yeah, she sure does.”

A few trips to the storage room, a few to the kitchen, one so Taeil can sweep the fallen plastic leaves, and they’re good to go. They put their coats and shoes back on, Johnny checks his phone for any updates on Taeyong and sends him a couple of texts to let him know he’s alive and well, and he should be home soon. His roommate is still most likely asleep, but he’s sure Taeyong would appreciate the thought.

He asks Taeil which way he’s going, to see if maybe they walk back together or something, but Taeil shakes his head. Says he’s going to find something to eat and probably hang around until he needs to be back for his eight a.m. class. 

“You still have one hour until your test.” Johnny points, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. “Won't you go home?”

Taeil shakes his head. “There’s no point. I’m not wasting time just so I can change clothes." He nods so Johnny will follow him, out towards the hallway. "It’s fine, I have a spare toothbrush here.”

They make a quick stop at the staff bathroom before heading out the same way from last night. The kitchen looks different in the daylight, a little bigger and less intimidating. There’s a coat of snow piled against the door when Taeil gets it open (courtesy of last night’s storm) but it’s nothing they can’t walk over by struggling a little. 

The early morning greets them with icy air, the cold breeze sliding past Johnny’s face, no doubt making his cheeks and nose red in the process. The sound of the snow getting scrunched up under their shoes fills in the silence of the empty campus, not a single noise to be heard. 

It’s a short walk around the library building to the front. The small yard between the road and the main entrance is covered in such a smooth, untouched coat of snow Johnny almost feels bad for ruining it. Almost. Their steps slow down when they get to the sidewalk, both of them knowing this is where they part ways after their shared adventure the past night. 

Johnny looks at the side of the street he’s supposed to head to, back to the main road so he can take a bus to the apartment he shares with Taeyong and hope he can get at least a few hours of sleep before his class in the afternoon. Then, he looks back at Taeil, who is typing away in his phone with a pout on his lips. Taeil, who was kind enough to let him study for an extra half-hour, who sings like he was born to do it, who likes to curse at the universe, who is so beautiful and smart he makes Johnny’s knees weak. 

Taeil who isn’t even going home, because long behold, no good deed goes unpunished and he got stuck in a library overnight because he wanted to help out a dumb stranger. 

Johnny decides to speak up before he can change his mind — not that he would, anyway. 

“Hey, wanna go grab some breakfast together?”

Taeil gives a side look, snuggling his scarf around his neck. “Don’t you think you’re pushing it a little?”

There’s a pause in which he considers that yes, maybe he is. Maybe spending an entire night together, sharing vending machine candy and cuddling covered in strangers’ coats is one hell of a first date already. Maybe it was only supposed to be a one-time thing. Maybe Taeil never wanted them to never see each other again. 

On the other hand.

“I’ll pay?”

It takes Taeil not even a full second to make up his mind, smiling sweetly as he does so. “Okay.”

It’s a bit of an effort to get them out of campus, the tree that caused the whole incident from the night before still fallen down the main road, cut up in pieces that were dragged to the sidewalk so the trucks could fix the power outage and clean off some of the snow. Once they’re out is a short walk to the coffee shop, the one that opens really early and closes really late and has a really good blueberry muffin. Johnny is there all the time because he’s friends with Yuta and Yuta has a big fat crush on one of the baristas. It’s adorable.

Warm air-conditioning welcomes them in, the bell above the door announcing their arrival to the girl behind the counter. She’s draped over the counter, cheek resting on her hand, mindlessly scrolling through her phone and she looks as if she’d rather be anywhere else. Still, she recognizes Johnny when he walks in, and her deadpan stares melts into a warm smile. Her name is Seulgi, and she’s probably the sweetest person Johnny has ever met. 

Seulgi takes their order with a soft voice, writing their names on the paper cups with little candy cane drawings and stars, the sparkles on her nails shining under the lights. Apparently, the power shortage didn’t reach that far out from campus. 

The coffee shop is empty save for the two of them and Seulgi, so she has their drinks done in no time, each with a sandwich on the side. Johnny is a little disappointed the blueberry muffins aren’t done yet, but Seulgi promises to leave one set aside for him later. He tells her she’s the best and gets rewarded with a cute giggle. 

(When Taeil isn’t looking, Seulgi gives Johnny a very exaggerated wink and a double thumbs-up. He takes it as a compliment.)

Taeil picks the table that’s closest to the small Christmas tree, setting his coat and leather bag on the spare chair. They sit down in silence for a while, eating their sandwiches and letting the coffee warm them up, only the sound of Seulgi drawing on the menu blackboard in the background. Johnny leans back into his chair, feeling rather content with how his night (and morning) turned out. 

Johnny might not pass his classes but he might just end up getting some in the end, if you know what he means.

Taeil gives him a very tired eye roll from behind his coffee.

“Everyone knows what you _mean,_ Johnny.”

Well, he had _not_ meant to say that out loud, but he’s glad he and Taeil are on the same page. The first point still stands.

Johnny fucking loves Christmas.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I wrote this for my birthday so leave me a nice comment! merry christmas 💕
> 
> Also, no one asked, but the 'hyung' Taeyong was talking about is Baekhyun, because they're totally a thing in this universe.
> 
> I used [la temperanza's](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11549178/chapters/25935135#bookmark-form) tutorial for the html of the texts.
> 
> you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/starrysol)  
> ♡


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